Armed robbers hit a jewelry store in SM North EDSA Sunday evening, December 15, causing panic among mall-goers after shots were allegedly fired.
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| A policeman guards a cordoned area of SM Department Store where the robbery took place. |
There were no immediate reports on the details of the robbery, but a statement from SM Premier Mall Vice President for Operations Steven Tan said that the police are "on top of the situation" and that "no one was hurt" during the heist.
"There is a 'Martilyo Gang' robbery in a store in North EDSA. The police are on top of the situation and handling the matter. No one was hurt. The only weapon used was a martilyo. The mall remains open," Tan said in a statement.
Initial police investigation said that at around 7:00 in the evening, three armed men were able to enter the mall and posed as customers inside the SM Department Store, then smashed a jewelry showcase displayed near its entrance using a hammer believed to have been bought inside.
Meanwhile, a DZMM report said that shots were fired during the robbery, as heard by a number of mall-goers.
Mallgoer Dr. Babes Arce said she and her family were in the second floor of the mall when they heard gunshots from the ground floor.
"Nandito kami sa second floor ng SM North EDSA may narinig kaming isang loud shot. Alam ko baril 'yun e. Tapos nag-scamper na ang mga tao, nag-run to safety sa isang kainan habang narinig ko 'yung mga iba pang shots ng baril," Arce who was still in the mall while being interviewed on radio dzMM. "After a few minutes, medyo naglabasan na 'yung ibang tao, nagkaroon uli ng putukan dito, bumalik uli kami sa isang kainan,"
But Arch. Rene Bacani, representative for the SM mall, denied the gunshots and that what the shoppers heard was the sound of the hammer smashing the jewelry display.
In January 2013, a similar incident happened at a jewelry store inside the department store of SM Megamall where a hammer was also used in the robbery.--Source: DZMM